Nonrefillable bottle closure



fE. GREENE l-:rAL

N ONREFILLABLE BOTTLE vCLOSURE Filed July 1, 1939 2 Sheets-sheet 1 JKL March 2, 1943- E. GREENE ETAL NONREFILLABL BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed July l, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l Wk a n.. w y 5 .3 A 4 IM 1 l...- l/ m ./|J m\ 4. 8. s 1 w w frz E N .R t m T MWA M,

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Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES Tsar orrics 2,312,759 NoNRErnimBLE Bo'r'rLs CfLosURE corporation of Delaware Application July 1, 1939, Serial No. 232,376

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bot` tle closures of the type utilized for rendering the refilling of bottles diicult.

The principal object is to provide an improved structure by means of which bottles are protected from refilling by methods utilizing vacuum, pressure, gravity,"`or shaking, and regardless of the position in which the bottle may be held, but which will permit the entire contents of the bottle to be freely vended.

Heretofore bottles equipped with closures of the non-rellable type, having valves seated tightly enough to prevent passage of liquor into the bottle, have been found to be impracticalbecause of air locking, due to a lower air pressure forming below the valve than that of the atmosphere above it, as may happen when the bottle is exposed to temperatures which contract the air and liquid contents of the bottle.-

The invention includes, therefore, the provision of means for definitely releasing any vacuum in the bottle which may naturally occur due primarily to climatic changes in temperature, or otherwise.

A further object is to provide a closure constructed of materials chemically inert to liquids contained in the hottie, and which at the same time is durable, cheap to manufacture, and of pleasing appearance.

A- still further object is to provide a closure inwhich any tampering that might weaken or destroy the intendedprotection against refilling will result in evidence of defacement, or else will interfere with normal operation.

Because of the restrictions imposed by the liquor industry with respect to the use of springs or other metal functional parts in such a device, and also because of obvious limitations due to the small space available in bottle necks, any solution of this problem has to be confined to a structure that lends itself to the utilization of natural forces; such as gravity, capillary adhesion, buoyancy, and air pressure, in order to meet the functional requirements heretofore stated.

Furthermore, because of commercial limitations as to tolerances in the component parts of the closure, it becomes necessary that such parts function without dependence upon extreme accuracy of manufacture. Therefore, the principles involved embody the use of a hollow nexible cone frustrurn engaging the exterior surface of a sphere, the former constituting the valve, and the latter the valve seat, which combination `forms an extremely tight seal under even the lighest of pressures. However, due tothe aforesaid danger of climatic locking, this desira#u ble arrangement would be impractical forpropei functioning, in the absence of suitable means for releasing advntitious vacuums. u

The valve of this invention is therefore of coinposite construction, and consists of a primary valve element with a face of conical configuration adapted to tightly seal a bottle opening of 'rela-vv tively large area for adequate pouring capacity; and a secondary flat valve element adapted t seat on the top of the primary element, but cov'- ering an opening therethrough of extremely small area, for the leakage of air. These two elements are arranged so as to move'together as a valve unit in continuously engagedrelation',v be# ing held together by means of adhesion when their contacting surfaces are wet. DueV to the dissiniilarity of theeffective areas of the two valve elements with respect to the openings they cover, it is obvious" that the secondary element will release more readily under the Same given infessure,` and because' of this principle the se'c; ondary element will function to release vacuums that otherwise would hold the: primary element seated and prevent the bottle from being'po'ured, During this releasing operation the secondary element apparently dde's' not actually open,v but a bleedingV of air between the contacting faces of the two valve elements takes place. Should; however, a vacuum be artificially created iii-lexcess of natural vacuums, then the secondary element will seat more tightlyv and prevent the forcing of liquor into the bottle, v n y The structure also consists of a weight s'upported on the tcp of the valve elements `and adapted to slidef4 axially wtl'iiria valve housing, and by forces' of adhesion to o'pen the composite valve when the bottle is invertedto' pour.

Both valve elements are preferably made' of cork or other suitably buoyant materials, so that they' will float together towardY the lseat when any attempt' is made to` refill the bottle by pressure when in an inverted position,A the acl-y hesion between the vaiveand the weight being broken by sub'rersi'on at' that time to prevent the weight from holding either element an open position with respect to access to the'interior of the bottle.

The effective area of thev contacting surfaces between weight and secondary valve element is suicientto overcome any tendency ofthe valve tov cling' t0 the Seat, but the area" Of the' 0011132121?L ing' surfaces of thesseconda'ry and primary valve elementsvis greater, scil that these elements will not* separate during such opening movement of the weight, particularly should the primary element be restrained on the seat by the suction of refilling vacuums. At least one of the contacting surfaces of the two valve elements should not be too highly polished, thereby to provide the desirable minute air bleeding passageways across thesesurfaces. both be substantially level and flat.

Should there be a natural vacuum in 'the bot# tle when it is uncorked to pour, air will immediately bleed across the face of the secondary element and on through the small air vent in the primary element, due to the pressure differ- Preierably they should,

ential aforesaid, but such minute passages will 'i' not pass liquor unless the pressure on the outer surface of the valve is very much increased. This, however, would only result in proportionately reducing such facial passages, due to the yielding character of the materials from which the valve elements are made, and liquor is thus prevented from passing through under such cirumstances.

Further means are provided for closing and holding the valve seated, in all positions of the bottle above the horizontal, consisting of a spherical weight cooperating with a slidable weight, and also with a cam surface formed on the under side of a guard member. Both the sliding weight and the guard member are provided with ample peripheral passageways for the egress o f liquor and the ingress of air. l In the drawings, illustrating one embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the closure of .thisinvention attached to a bottle top;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the guard member;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same;

. Fig.4 4 is a top plan view of the slidable weight member;

"..Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the same;

, Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View showing the angular disposition of the parts of the closure with respect to the generation of forces effective to `closeand seal the valve;

` Fig, 'lv is a fragmentary section of the lower portion of the device shown in Fig. 1 with a modied form of valve face; l

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectionof a modified form of closure;

Fig. 9is a plan view of the guard member f Fig. 10 is a plan view of the slidable weight member of Fig. 8;`

. Fig. 11 is a similar view to Fig. 7 but showing a modification of the composite valve;

` Fig. 12 is a plan View of the subject-matter of Fig. 13, illustrating a modified form of the valve proper; and

Fig. 13 is a section through the valve proper shown in Fig. 12.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1, the top of a bottle neck is indicated at Ill, to which is secured a closure assembly made up of a valve casing or housing Il open at the top and having a valve seat I2, anopening I3 in its otherwise closed bottom; a gasket I4, a cover member I5, stopper I6, and valve mechanism comprising a composite valve consisting of two members, I1 and I8, the former being hereinafter referred to as the primary element, and the latter as the secondary element;v a weight and guide member rI9, a spherical weight member 20, and a guard lmember 2|. These parts areheld in assembly with the :bottle neck HIA by means of a metallic ferrule 22, spun over a shoulder of the cover member I5 and into and around a suitable annular recess and bead surrounding the bottle neck adjacent the top thereof. The cover member I5, weight and guide member I9, and the guard member 2|, may be made of porcelain or glass, due to the adaptability of this material for the desired purpose. The valve casing II may also be made of similar materials, or it may consist of molded plastics which are chemically inert when in contact with liquors contained in the bottle. The spherical weight member 2l] is preferably made of glass, or agate, because of cheapness and accuracy of manufacture attainable by well-known methods, and 'because this substance is heavy enough for the purpose intended.

The valve seat I2 is of a particular configurationconsisting in cross section, as shown in Fig. 1, of a segment of a sphere, the full size of the latter being indicated in broken lines in Figs. 1 and 6, and extends upwardly from the bottom inside surface off member II, and is spaced from the surrounding walls thereof to form an annular gutter, the purpose of which will presently appear.

Both the primary and secondary elements I'l and I3 are shown as circular in plan, and are made of cork or other buoyant material. Element I'I is frusto-conical in shape, with an angle of approximately 13 degrees relatively to the axis of the bottle neck lil. Its lower end adjacent the seat I2 is out away to form a frusto-conical recess, so that the inside annular wall I1 thereof is inclined at an angle of substantially 38 degrees relatively to the axis of the bottle neck Ill.

The wall Il' is adapted to touch circumferentially the aforesaid spherical surface of the seat I2, the disposition being such as to tend to tighten the joint so formed between element Il and seat I2 in direct proportion to any pressure exerted toward the seat on said element, but without wedging. It will be noted that the annular portion of element II engaging and surrounding seat I2, is relatively thin in cross section, and therefore flexible, and that as element I'I moves down upon valve seat I8 the tapered depending portion conforms itself to the valve seat, the gutter surrounding the valve seat being deep enough to permit such downward movement. Thus an airtight seal `is provided between the valve and the interior of the bottle which does not require expensive vgrinding or lapping, but which nevertheless is fullyV resistant to low as well as high pressure that may be used in attempts to defeat the purpose of this invention. Element I1 is also provided with a through opening 23, and element I8 rests on the fiat top of element Il to cover opening 23, the latter being preferably not more than one thirty-second of an inch in diameter, while the diameter of opening I3 is shown as seven-sixteenths of an inch.

The slidable weight and guide member I9 consists of a solid top wall 24, preferably circular, with a plurality of legs 25 the major length of which extends below the wall 24, and with a relatively short length extending above the wall to thereby provide as long a bearing surface as possible. Member IS is arranged to slide axially within the shell II to a limited extent. The inner surfaces of legs .25 are tapered at an angle corresponding to the taper of element Il, but with a sufficient clearance, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, to allow for any naturalV swellingof either ofthe cork elements,

and also to allowrthecomposite valveto be ,free to rock universally on the seat I2. Legs also provide an enclosing structure within which elements Il and I8 are confined in the assembled relation of the parts. Thus the valve may be guided into substantially axial alignment with the seat I2.

' When the bottle is heldin an inverted position, but close to the horizontal (in which position the weight 29 is ineffective to close the valve), and with'weight and guide member I9 in its extreme position away from seat I2, the clearance is such that the legs 25 will permit the valve to close by capillarity, as described in Letters Patent No. 2,070,594.

The weight and guide member I9 is provided with a flat surface 25 which contacts with the upper surface of element I8, but which is of smaller area than that of the opposite surface of said element I8 in Contact with the top of element I'I. When these four contacting surfaces of elements II and I8, and weight surface 26, are wet, they will adhere together so that when the bottle is inverted to pour, these parts will move away from the seat I2 fully independent of the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid within the bottle. However, when the bottle is held inverted and liquid rises i-n response to a vacuum established in the bottle in an attempt to rell it, the adhesion between the valve and the weight I9 will be broken by submersion, and then both elements I'I and I8 will together float, free of the weight, into engagement with the seat, and close the opening I3. Such unequal pressures then existing on opposite sides of the valve will, however, ultimately be restored to a state of equilibrium due to the slow leakage of air occurring between the contacting faces of elements i'I and I8, and through opening 23, but liquids will not under those conditions pass between the valve elements Il' and I8.

Means are provided for closing the valve when the bottle is moved from a pouring to a horizontal position, and which are also adapted to function effectively to prevent unseating of the valve when the bottle is shaken in an upright position. For these purposes the ball 20 is provided, and normally rests on top of the weight and guide member I9, but in a position always eccentric with respect to the vertical axis thereof, Ydue to a conical projection 21 extending upwardly from the center of the wall 24 of said member, the ball being free to roll in a circular path around this projection.

VThe shape of the guard member 2I is circular as shown in Fig. 2, and substantially frustoconical in cross section, both inside and outside, as shown in Fig. 1. It is provided with a plurality of supporting lugs 29, suitably spaced apart circumferentially to provide adequate passageways for the egress of liquid and the ingress of air when the bottle is inverted to pour. The guard is supported above the valve casing II by the lugs 29, which preferably fit into an annular recessV 39 formed in the top of the flanged valve casing, and rest upon the flat surface thereof as shown in Fig. l. Lugs 29 also extend upwardly within an annular recess 3I provided in the under side of the cover member I5, so that when in assembled relation the guard is maintained in a substantially fixed position with respect to the movable parts of the closure.

The top of the guard member extends upw-ardly in the form of a dome which terminates close-to the lower edge of the tubular discharge oriiice 32 in cover member I5, for the purpose fof preventing the introduction of a wire or the like to intercept the valve, and also for the purpose of providing a pocket `33' for the receptionof the ball 20 (see broken lines in Fig. 1) to per-mit opening of the valve when the bottle is tilted 'to a pouring position. The annular sloping sides- 34 of the pocket provide a cam surface for actuat ing the ball from the broken line position to thatindicated in full lines. This occurs as the bottle is moved from a pouring position toward a horizontal one, and this movement of the ball, at that time downwardly and forwardly towards the seat I2, moves the weight and guide mem:- ber I9, which in turn moves the valve into engagement with the seat I2, and effectively prevents refilling of the bottle by repetitive leakage induced by shaking the bottle in an axial line when submerged. Channels 35 are provided. across the surface 34 to relieve any tendency ofk the ball to remain in the` pocket 33 because of adventitious adhesion orrsuction.

It will now be apparent that if the bottle is shaken when in an upright position the projection 2l will press against the lower surface of the ball in a direction effective to cause the upper surface thereof to bear against the surface 34, and thereby prevent the weight and guide member I9 and the valve from moving in a direction away from the seat I2; or else the ball will be pinched to one side and move around the projection 2l, but still remain in contact with` the ball 34. The same will be true if the bottle is shaken in any other position above the horizontal.

Referring to the diagram of Fig. 6, it will be apparent that with the bottle in an upright position, any shaking sidewise back and forth, which might tend to rock and unseat a flat valve, will be ineffective in the construction illustrated, be cause the consequent slight rocking of member I9, due to the necessary play as a result of manufacturing tolerances, will only result in rocking the valve on its ball shaped seat without unseating it; also that any shaking in an axial direction will set up components active in an angular direction relative thereto, and will be opposed by the surfaces on projection 21 and guard 2| then in contact with opposite sides respectively of the spherical weight 20.

Side shaking, as abovey described, in which other forces might be generated centrifugally to bodily lift the valve and member I9, are likewise arrested or effectively dampened by the same functioning of member 20 as above stated, and the tendency in any event is to seat the -valve all the tighter in view of the yleldable character of the valve material and the configuration of the seat and the valve face, such forces acting on the tangent through line B-B t will also be apparent that when the bottle is on its side so that a horizon will correspond to line A-A, and with all of the movable parts in a fully remote position with respect to the seat I2, and in which position weight 20 will not be fully responsive to gravity, that entering liquid through orifice 32 under light pressure will float the valve away from its adhesive contact with wall 24 and along line A-A, and due to the tapering sides of the valve and those of the contiguous surfaces of legs 25, the valve will have sufficient clearance to tilt within the space defined by the aforesaid leg structure so that its lower forward edge can float up and engage the seat, and: sothat a local rise` in the liquid level above the general liquid level Vwill form a meniscus effective to swing the upper portion of the valve also into engagement with the seat in a hinge-like manner, whereby introduction of liquid into the bottle will be prevented.

Several positions of the ball 2B are shown in broken lines, :I: representing the pouring position in which the valve parts are free to open, y and z, respectively, positions assumed when the valve parts are in a closed position. It will be understood, however, that ball 2l! may assume many other positions throughout its annular raceway about projection 2'I, effective for the purpose intended.

Referring to Fig. 7, the valve casing or housing Il is provided with a seat I2 corresponding in shape to the segment of a sphere, as in Fig., 1, but in this instance having a shorter radius and having its curvature extending fully to the bottom of the casing as shown. A primary valve element 46 is provided with a concaveface 4I also corresponding in configuration to the segment of a sphere whose radius is substantially the same as that of the seat I2', so that when this element is seated the aforesaid curvatures of seat and face will be approximately concentric to each other.

It will now be seen that the primary valve element of this construction may still partake of a. universal movement upon its seat, but the contacting areas will be obviously greater, with less danger of any dripping under light pressures, particularly should any slight defect be present in the face of the primary element, and which might occur along the line contact of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 8 there is shown a modified structure which is4 considered in some respects to be a preferred form of the invention, primarily because of reduced manufacturing costs. The valve casing and the movable parts are substantially the same as heretofore shown and described, but modified to cheapen, and to conform to a bottle top of desirably lesser diameter.

For the above purpose a cover member and combined ferrule 50 are integrally formed of the use of a protective coating consisting of a synthetic resin known commercially as vinylite. This substance is inert to alcohol, acids, and alkalies, is readily applied to metal, and is sufliciently elastic to permit drawing of the coated metal in dies for fabrication into suitable shapes,

and for spinning onto bottle tops without mutilation of the coating. I

Member 5U has a pouring spout 5I with a terminal bead or upset top` end 52 for the reception of a top cork 53. Suitable shoulders 54 and 55 are provided for the positioning of a guard 56 and the flange 5'I of a shell or valve casing 58 corresponding generally to the casing II herein shown, and also for the gasket I4. The bottom `of member 50 is flared as at 59 for the intro- .,duction of gasket I4 to provide a jam fit to hold A.the assembled parts firmly together as a unit.

In this modification a plurality of lugs 60 circumferentially disposed radially on guard 56 rest in assembly on flange 5l, the lower surface of which is substantially aligned with the top surface of gasket I4, the latter being also in contact with the shoulder 55 of cover member 50.

4,When the closure is in position on bottle neck ,l0 and pressure is applied from above on shoulder 55, the gasket will be compressed and a tight joint will be established between the top of the bottle. the lower surface of flange 5'I and shoulder 55, and when the lower portion of member 50 is spun onto the bottle top such joint will be maintained. Any attempted removal of member 50 will result in its destruction as a whole.

Guard 56 is provided with a projection 6I to form a stop for the spherical weight 2li when in the dotted position indicated, to prevent adventitious adhesion between contiguous surf-aces when wet; and a cheaper form of weight and guide member is shown at 62, thickened to make it heavier for more positive opening movement of the valve elements I8 and 40. It is provided preferably with but four legs 63 of sturdier proportions, to lessen die costs and facilitate manufacture. The operative characteristics are substantially the same as herein described.

In Fig. 11 the valve elements I8 and 40 are provided withkmeans for loosely uniting them mechanically, consisting of a pin 64 having a head 65, and which passes through element I8 in an airtight manner with the lower surface of head t5 pressed against the top surface of element I8. The shank of pin B4 passes through opening 2.12 and is flattened at 68 to an extent sufficient to prevent any withdrawal through the opening, but with sufficient play to permit a slight relative movement, axially of the closure, between elements I8 and dii to ensure the aforesaid bleeding o-f air across the contiguous surfaces of said elements for the purpose herein set forth.

It will now be obvious that element 40 cannot oat away from member 62 without element I8 partaking of a similar movement and thus any possibility of the inadvertent separation of these elements is avoided. The lower surface of member E2 is recessed at i'l to receive the head 65 without interference with the adhesive eng-agement between member 62 and element I8.

,InvFigs 12 and 13 the primary and secondary valve parts are shown integral. Accordingly there is a member 4U of cork or other buoyant material, shaped in general like the composite of members i8 and di) of Fig. 11, and adapted for cooperative relation with a weight-and-guide member such as 62 and with valve seat such as I2 or I2.l Valve member 60 has a concave face 4I', and somewhat below the opposite face of the valve a hinged flap I8' is produced by making a slicing cut transversely of the axis of the valve t.,

(horizontally with reference to Fig. 13), this cut being shown at 70 in Fig. 12, with the integral hinge indicated in dotted lines. Preferably while the cutting blade is in the cutting position within the cork piece 40 a piercing tool is caused to penetrate the cork upwardly and at an angle from the face 4l until it is stopped by contact with the slicing blade, thereby forming a bleeder opening "II extending from face 4I' to the slit made by the cutting tool. Both the slicing blade and the piercing tool being now withdrawn, the result is a main or primary valve body 40', topped by an integrally attached secondary valve that by reason of its hinged connection with the main body, is adapted to control the bleeder opening II in the same way that secondary valve member I8 controls the bleeder opening 23 in the Fig. 1 construction What is claimed is:

1. In a bottle closure of the kind described, having a valve housing with inlet and outlet openings at the opposite ends thereof respecopenings at the opposite ends thereof respectively, and having valve means and cooperating Weighted means Within said housing, a valve seat surrounding the inlet opening of said housing, said valve seat being convex, `and the face of the valve means being recessed and of a configuration to provide substantially a line contact When in engagement with said seat regardless of incidental angular disposition of the axes of lsaid 10 valve means and seat.

EDGEWORTH WILLIAM H. FORREST. 

